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hopefull-mindset · 3 months

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Hello. I had another question. Would you say the way the relationships/interactions are written between the characters in BSD would be considered queerbaiting?

Technically by definition I would personally say yes, however there's usually a negative connotation that comes with queerbaiting that's related to harming the queer community so I was wondering if you had a more nuanced approach to the topic.

Queerbait… ah my worst enemy of a term has struck again. Mind if I add the Queer Coding discussion into this as well? Because when I see one person denounce the idea of Queer Coding in BSD, another person goes “oh yeah, it’s actually Queerbait”. No offense, but nobody knows what they’re talking about with either term and I understand why. I have my hangups about how they've been used and the blur between them causing this confusion.

I didn’t even realize this was something people argued about because I didn’t think there was enough to argue queer intent anywhere. I’m generally used to vague queer representation getting these types of arguments, so I blanked out with confusion.

For those who don’t know, Queerbait is a term coined to refer to marketing strategies that use the “implied” queerness to market their content to an audience who are interested in that to view their content. Of course, they don’t actually follow through on that “promise” for the sake of their viewership not being disturbed. Maybe they'll put some hints in their little show, and then kill them off when the time is ripe.

That’s where most of its negative connotations come from: Taking advantage of a marginalized group’s need for representation to improve their ratings. People use this… very incorrectly, usually when someone is clearly using Queer Coding in their work and get accused of Queerbait when they don’t follow through with an explicit romantic relationship.

Queer Coding is when a creator writes subtextual hints into their writing that a character or relationship is meant to be read as gay to bypass censorship or stigma within the media they’re writing in. Usually with signals that a gay audience can catch onto or romantic references in plain sight. While technically not the greatest example since MDZS is a danmei, the Donghua wasn't exactly allowed to fully present their relationship for what it was. Surprisingly, they added a scene where a move of Wei Wuxian’s colored both his and Lan Wangji’s robes red to resemble Chinese wedding garments.

I only chose that example because I think it's a great representation of details in plain sight. But then there's the other way I've seen Queer Coding get used and that's in queer analysis where we read a narrative or character as gay because of their distinct traits or plotline that resonates with LGBTQ+ audiences. It gets confusing when people use it both ways, but fandom usually uses it the first way.

I'm a bit bitter when I talk about these two terms because of how often the overlap confuses audiences, and god knows how loosely Queer Coding gets used to describe some vague, homoerotic friendship while the other side starts accusing the author of Queerbait. Then you start questioning if the author was really trying to take advantage of the community, wanted to explore sexuality without commitment, or literally didn't realize what they wrote could be interpreted like that because of how it chooses to write intimacy. It gets messy FAST.

Ah, how do I say this… I get the outrage of not having explicit representation more often, but when Queerbait starts getting used to describing the writing itself rather than just the promotional marketing, it starts losing all meaning to me and becomes a scab on my back. It generalizes the intent of the writer and assumes them in this box of malicious motivations. Then there's the whole argument of whether or not real people can “queerbait”, which is also stupid to me.

The examples people bring up don't even hold up (starts using t.A.T.u in your examples for once because… wow) and a majority only apply this to fictional content because of the super-secret rule to Queerbait. Usually, it can't work because then that assumes the sexuality of the person in question and they fully well could just be non-disclosed queer who's exploring their sexuality, but then what makes the writer a problem? What's stopping you from confusing Queer Coding with Queerbait?? It's different when it's obvious that they're using the queer identity for a quick browny point, but Jesus.

The way fandom uses it is not in these really obvious moments, but in ambiguous writing. I don't understand any of this when we start straying into this territory and I'm trying not to get mad when I'm currently talking about this right now. I am already mad, I failed. Maybe it's just a personal feeling, but I really don't like this term for these reasons. It's useful, but kind sucks. I can go on forever about Queerbait and the misusage of it, and even the way I think its used currently is bullshit anyway, but I digress.

Right right, this is about Bungou Stray Dogs. As you could guess from my rant, I don't think Asagiri is queerbaiting us if you mean it in the “queerbait writing” crowd. So what about Studio Bones?

Bones, well… I mean it's really common for animation studios to draw official art like this and since Queerbait is more of a Western concept, this is understood as just fanservice I think. You can technically count this as Queerbait if you'd like, but you should always consider the fact of a different community always having a different relationship with queer concepts.

Studio Bones's official art of Soukoku is hilarious to me. There’s another one promoting some brand and they're at a fountain dating spot. At least these are not as bad as the official art for Mecha animes in the 2000s lololol.

Moving on, the argument for Queer Coding when it comes to Soukoku tends to rely on these arts. I don't recommend doing that because relying on side content that holds no purpose other than to rile up fans doesn't make a strong enough case. Subtext is the most important part to making a point, so if you can't even point in the direction of the main text, then…

Dazai and Chuuya is a bit bottom barrel of what can be considered Queer Coding. I like Soukoku as much as the next guy (maybe not in the same way) and think their relationship is incredibly fun, but one vaguely homoerotic scene in Dead Apple does not convince me anything of the idea they should be seen in a romantic context. Trust me, I've spent a long time back proofing my arguments as to why my long-term OTP should be understood as gay. Soukoku doesn't impress me in these lines of understanding.

I personally think the way some SKK fans approach their relationship from a purely romantic view and are entirely insistent on this one-note understanding of Dazai’s feelings for him ruins most conversation on the topic of Dazai, Chuuya, Age 15, and his inclusion in Stormbringer. They're very important to each other, but some need to step back to appreciate what they have in canon and then apply romance?

I have no idea why people talk as if Dazai joking around and saying “That's what makes me like you” really meant anything. Makes me doubt half the time if it's just people seeing the panel out of content and have never read the actual novel.

Fyodor and Nikolai shippers are like this too. They take the importance they have to one another (at least for Nikolai, idk what Fyodor thinks of him) and then inflate that into just romance. What they have isn't really Queer Coding, it's just fixation that is seen as romantic. They have their official art, but that doesn't mean much since it's anthology art.

Rimbaud and Verlaine hm… sometimes when an author depicts real people who were in a relationship, they avoid that detail by calling them “brotherly”. The relationship of the real authors shouldn't be pointed at as proof at all because the characters are not the people. I would not recommend romanticizing their relationship either since it was um, I don't think chaotic cuts it. The age gap was disastrous, Rimbaud moved in with him and his wife at some point (obviously making the marriage worse), one of them got slapped with a fish, Verlaine tried shooting Rimbaud, etc.

So me saying that there was no Queer Coding shouldn't mean you can't see them as queer, I just mean there's no proof of Asagiri having that intention. That is all. I think Verlaine and Rimbaud had something going on, but that's purely from my own amusement and appeal.

That's my take on that I guess? I don't see it either way. It takes a lot for me to believe there was an intention to write them a certain way. Even if you asked me, “Do you think Akechi and the protagonist from Persona 5 are meant to be gay?” I'd giggle and consider it from what the p5 royal content was like, but I'd tell you no, unfortunately.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #dazai osamu #bsd meta #chuuya nakahara

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grungiiuvu · 2 months

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Hi! Previous anon here! I just rechecked ur blog and i saw u replied to me and ajsjdnkdkdn im so honored u wanna know more abt my culture😭😭😭 but before i start rambling i just wanna say im apart of two chinese clans? Cultures? Idk how to say it but i googled it and its called a province so province it is! My mom is fu jian and my dad is fu jian AND ke jia, but since my grandma's(ke jia) influence is so strong and most of my grandpa's(fu jian) relatives are 💀 i actually have an equal share of both cultures. By that i mean like, two different languages, which are thankfully just spoken, not written, and also lots of different food and pronunciations! For example, instead of hongbao, i say angbao.

Okay, so! I think one of the most prominent things i've grown up with is like, nicknames. And one thing i see is so common in tgcf fanfictions is the "A". Like: A-lian, A-qing, A-xin. Which okay, its actually used but its actually very uncommon(at least where i've grown up). Only person that uses it is my family is like, my grandpa and its to ny grandma. My grandma calls him BY NAME its actually crazy. We tend to use more double names? Idk how to say it but for example Mu Qing would be Qing Qing, Shi Qingxuan would be Xuan Xuan yk? My parents only call me by that, but the purpose of the nick names would be to mostly shorten the names becus most ppl have 3 character names. So unfortunately someone like Xie Lian(who has a 2 character name) would be refered to mostly as Xie Lian and not A-Lian or lian lian😭 And! The "A" prefix isn't only used from the last character! Sqx can also be refered to as A-qing as well as A-xuan, as well as A-qingxuan(its complicated)

For family stuff, younger siblings usually never refer to older ones by name. Like sqx would call swd ge ge, wu du ge, du gege but never outright Wudu.

And i also found out u wrote cheap villain??? I owe everything to you its so WELL WRITTEN?? AND THE PLOT?? ITS SO GOOD KIKE KSJDJD BUTTtttt one thing i've actually wondered is like accents. Like in english, ppl who speak mandarin tend to have accents! And ppl in BeiJing have a very prominent one. First time i tried talking to someone in BeiJing i had trouble understanding cus even tho we were speaking the same language it sounded so different! The tcgf donghua actually sounds a lot more similar to tawainese than like native mandarin cus it sounds so clean cut, if ykwim??? Like the pronunciation in the donghua is GOODDD and so SHARP(i may be jealous). BeiJing mandarin tends to sound more round and so I would've liked to see like, mu qing waking up in a whole new reality, starts speaking, and xie lian is like: "huh? What? Mu qing, SLOW DOWN WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" I think it would've been funny, in my opinion😭😭 (do i sound fussy again i hope this comes off as light hearted😭)

I MIGHT add more cus theres actually sm more i wanna say but im gonna leave it at here i hope it isn't TOO long😭 ur welcome ti ask me anything u want to know cus I LOVE talking abt my culture!!! Hopefully this isn't too boring for u😭

This wasnt boring at all!!! I love learning about different societies, it really fascinates me!! I'm from England and South Africa, so both my cultures are very modern western (living in the UK doesn't help) so I'm utterly at a loss with Chinese culture aside from deep-diving on the internet and doing my own research lol :')

The nickname thing is very interesting and i didn't know that!! tysm for telling me :D I know I've used it quite a bit in Cheap Villain but i feel I'm too far in to switch it up now TTvTT I don't want to seem like I'm abruptly changing things, and making the story inconsistent!

The stuff about the shi siblings is very helpful!! I shall be sure to remember that 🫡🫡

I've only recently started hearing about the accents thing, I'm afraid :')) If i had known when i first started writing Cheap Villain, I definitely would've done something about it lol! it was such a good joke opportunity missed o(TヘTo) Hopefully, I'll find somewhere to put it in, because that'd be very fun :D

I absolutely loved hearing all this!! feel free to send as many as you'd like :D I am aware I really don't know much about other cultures and I'm always happy to learn more anytime :))

Im so glad you enjoy Cheap Villain!! I've been trying my best haha

tysm anon!! :D

#anon my beloved

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sasukimimochi · 1 year

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i wanna ramble about my view on JC but i'm so bad at words

so like, i see posts where people talk about these things JC does or WWX holds back from, i don't wanna go searching but also want to leave these details out cuz i don't want to accidentally call people out cuz that is not my intention (not that i have the audience to do something like that) so i'm just gonna go from my memory and kinda summarize what i think abt him...

gonna add a read more line bc this gets long!

Uh, btw please no hostility i'm not trying to start arguments, these are just my thoughts i really wanted to get out there. i'm definitely no therapist or psychologist so take this with a grain of salt, this is the view of just an average reader who retains a lot of info [tho still manages to miss details at times]. Anyway if you have info you think i should have addressed, reply and i'll make additions if i agree/want to expand on the info presented to me!

So, WWX and JC have a weird thing going on, it's not exactly brothers but they definitely wanted that, the reason why i say they aren't solidly brothers is because i'm pretty sure Madam Yu has influenced JC from the start of his arrival which is why he doesn't call wwx a-xian or Wei Ying or A-Ying- Why he doesn't allow himself to let loose properly around anyone even in private, why he constantly scolds wwx, etc. i believe firmly he's been quite influenced by his parents due to him being the next sect heir and the pressure that comes from it, as well as what he feels like madam yu is correct on- wwx is uncle jiang's favorite.

Madam Yu still chides Yanli for doing domestic acts for WWX but not on the same level as JC, who is constantly under pressure by her to be the perfect heir to the sect. She wants him to be better than WWX, which of course affects all of the family but Yanli gets left out of the fire a bit, which i think is what gives her such a strength to do these supportive acts for the brothers [and why she's also both the brother's favorite. She's basically the mom they wish for. Supportive, understanding, and helps mediate them]. Though this is a burden she has to bear, it's not that big of a burden to her because she loves the two so much.

Jiang Fengmian... i might be spelling his name wrong, so i'll call him Uncle Jiang cuz it will be faster for me to type with no mistakes haha. Anyway, I have complicated feelings about him.

At first i thought he was great and did no wrong, but that was on my first pass and when i had just watched the donghua only. My opinion of him since i read the novel isn't bad, but it's not super good. He's in a complicated position! There's only so much he can do about his wife, they argue super often and while its not usually crazy loud, it's pretty intense. [also, i'm not sure if separation is really a thing that happened back then, i think that's really a modern thing.] I feel like we're likely seeing Uncle Jiang's will to fight dimmed down by the wear of time.

Consider: you have a family member who won't ever listen to what you say, regardless how sound your argument is- you can be completely in the right and have all the facts, but no matter how long you press on, the result never changes. Do you put in the same amount of effort for the rest of your life? No! You understand that no matter how much you argue that their answer will remain the same. I personally have a family member like this, and while i defend myself regularly, it does not go anywhere. That is the nature of some people, no matter what they may not treat your view with the respect it deserves.

anyway back to the main line here, i dont think wwx is wrong about what he said regarding JF to JC. "he's just hard on you cuz you're going to be sect leader" or whatever it was along those lines- WWX does not seem like the type to lie to make someone feel better and i think this is why JC appreciates that conversation so much (besides the heartfelt twin prides which is obviously something that stuck to him for a long time). And i agree, JF is definitely trying to prepare Jiang Cheng for his position as sect leader one day.

do i think Uncle Jiang is completely guilt free of favoritism? No absolutely not, he canonically holds wwx more as a child, which i think is hard to argue against- but i do think the context of that is missed in part by most. WWX may have been a bright kid with sun shining out his ass but he was also a scared kid that just got rescued off the streets after his parents never came home. A kid that was fighting for food from dogs and likely starving and scared because he was on the street for like 5 years [if i remember it was from age 4 to 9 in the novel]. Of course he got held a bit more- i can't imagine he would be completely unphased immediately upon arrival, at least with his Uncle Jiang who was totally willing to provide him comfort- which wwx probably desperately missed from his now dead parents. We know canonically that the memory of those parents, however small, is unreplaceable and dear to wwx- but having JF treat him dearly is truly a balm to what has happened to him.

I'm not gonna say JC didn't go through things that made him cry and want to be held, in fact if WWX came into the house and suddenly got a lot of attention, it's going to feel pretty shitty for JC! Of course this combined with abruptly losing his privacy and puppies was what initially had him pushing the other away, but as you could see, after WY breaks his leg after running off and they make up, they get really close and despite this looming responsibility and family troubles, the two are very bonded. imo making them look like 6 year olds in the donghua is an injustice to their relationship, because 9 year olds tend tend to have more emotional intelligence (?) at that age. I'm not sure how to phrase that, but basically making them look younger and act like giggling children took away from the scene a bit for me lol. Jc is old enough to realize he doesn't dislike wwx! This isn't a child quickly getting over his anger, he's young here yes, but he's decided in this moment that he cares about this new member of the family, despite being called the son of a servant. [which yes madam yu is once again influencing his view of this segregation but i think he is much better at ignoring this particular in his youth]

I am rambling more than i thought i would lmao- i have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i think it's skipped over so much

um, i'm not sure which direction i was going in before i went onto the parents. Let's skip forward.

lotus pier fell and not only did JC see wwx get humiliated and whipped and nearly disfigured, his mother who he was about to lose blamed wwx for so much. When you lose a family member you have an attachment to, whether it bad or good, this influences your thoughts about them and with no way to resolve said thoughts. i find this hard to explain, so i'm just going to hope you understand what i'm referring to here. Especially in ancient china though, i believe it's a big thing to hold such a high regard for your parents, but especially if they have passed? i can't say this is fact but i believe that is the case i just am sticking to my memory here. So these things in combination with Trauma, i believe starts this heavy, negative emotion in JC that is hard to unstick.

JC and WWX may get into a one-sided scuffle but soon after they cry together like children. They just experienced hundreds of lives lost- people they grew up with and trained with and cared for as well as the people who provided and cared for them- their family was unstable, but still was a family and support system- now they had only two people and one of them was far away, the one that was typically their pillar. I feel like a lot of people hold JC to an impossible standard in his situation- having a bad day and taking it out on someone is one thing, going through a traumatic massacre i think allows someone to get a bit unreasonable [though of course nearly choking him was quite far, remember, he's extremely unstable emotionally at this point].

"WWX didn't do that though!" of course not. WWX is a different person with a different personality, is older (though i don't know by how much), and is extremely resilient, but he does process his trauma just differently. As you see over and over in the novel, wwx goes through many things others wouldn't dream of, but he starts acting differently even before the golden core removal, not only after. He's going through the same things, but i'm pretty sure no one reacts to trauma the same way to the T. JC's just happens to be misplaced anger, which is probably way too simple a way to put it, but anyway...wwx also gets angry. very angry. The two both have the correct target of anger in the end, despite Jc's breakdown. He still harbors his mother's words, but at this point they're still in the background of his mind.

Now again we go forward- JC willingly sacrifices himself for WWX. Look, if he doesn't like wwx at all i think this is extremely contradictory. even if he was s*icidal, he could have chose other ways to get to that end if that was the case. and a gentle reminder that JC perks back up and is ready to fight once he believes WWX knows how to fix his core! i don't think he was truly wanting to die or anything like that until he thought he had lost everything except wwx and jyl. He believes in wwx's strength despite his constant fear of inferiority, so if he was gone, what would it matter if wwx was there to continue to protect yanli?

Essentially he was like 'well what are we going to do if i can't lead the sect? We would be in a homeless situation and there is a war.' aka there's not a lot of hope all around, i don't think he was only upset about the core, but it was definitely the main force because if he didn't have a core, how would he survive what was happening anyway? he's like 'if i'm gonna die let it be on my terms' yk? He also doesn't feel like he's strong enough before he lost his core to protect anyone. Without it? fat chance.

whew... this is a lot already, so maybe i'll post this and do a part two later addressing YLLZ arc, then the "present" one. i just have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i'm sad to see so much negativity around him...JC is quite flawed, but a lot of the characters are flawed! that doesn't make them bad characters, it makes them interesting and human.

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hykar · 1 month

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💫🌷Hi-kar here!•°

Hi, This is Hykar and welcome to my blog where I mainly talk, write, and post about my favorite characters and sometimes the game/fiction where they are from. Welcome to my little world! You may ask me about myself but please make sure its not too personal :)!

I read Manhwas, Manhuas, Fanfictions, and Novels—I also like to watch Donghuas, Animes/Animated series, and Films. I also like to play a wide range of games (mainly adventure and building ones) such as Pokemon (Emerald), Genshin Impact, Obey Me!, Dark Corridors, Honkai Starrail, Path to nowhere, Project Sekai!, and so much more.

Overall just a person who's really into books and fiction. I also write my own novels and comics with my own characters!

🌷What I write and accept:

I write Character x Reader/OC/another character Fanfictions (Including: scenarios/imagines, oneshots, and AU's) (that will be definitely divided into parts because they will most likely going to be long) with an ACCEPTABLE trope and/or dynamic. (E.g. Rivals to Lovers, Picky-eater character x Eats everything character).

Requests are accepted! (Characters that differ from the ones I will write about may take some time because I want to understand their character first before writing).

I specialize in ANGST.

🌷What I DO NOT write and accept:

Character x Reader/OC/another character Fanfictions (Including: scenarios/imagines, oneshots, and AUs) that DO NOT have an acceptable trope and/or dynamic. (E.g. Character x Reader/OC that are siblings or have a... Jaw-dropping age gap.)

🌷What will take some time to be considered:

NSFW.

Dark Romance (It depends on what kind of Dark Romance is being implied.)

🌷SOME of my favorite characters and the game/fiction where they are from that I will post about:

Honestly, I have A LOT of favorite characters and most of them are either the side character that doesn't get a lot of screen time, dies or underrated. Sometimes all of the above. Henceforth I will be writing about them so that people that enjoy the same character I do get some more content about about them. Here are my top 3 favorites!

1. Sucheon Kang of Eleceed

2. Amajiki Tamaki of MHA/BNHA

3. Rosaria, La Signora, Arlechinno/Knave and Kaedehara Kazuha of Genshin Impact (My main too!)

4. Oliver Wood of the Harry Potter series

5. Neji Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka of Naruto

6. Sanzu Haruchiyo of Tokyo Revengers

7. Toge Inumaki of Jujutsu Kaisen

8. Tokito Muichiro of Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer

9. Kyousuke Tsurugi of Inazuma Eleven GO!

10. Simeon of Obey Me!

-Too many of them to count so I'll stop here. You may ask me who else!

🌷I have a lot of favorite Character x Character/ships but I won't list them anymore cause this post will be too long to read ㅠ ㅠ.

🌷HEADS-UP:

1. I may or may not write too often because of: Schoolwork, Writers block, Burn-out, My forgetfulness

2. Please be patient and respectful with your requests :(

3. My writing is pretty sh-t, Im sorry.

4. I edit my work sometimes which is often. (Perfectionist struggles... Jk. Maybe.)

5. I might post my opinions/thoughts in here and it might bury my works so I will keep it to a minimum, Including the reblogs.

6. I will generally refer to the reader/describe them via They/Them/Their pronouns for the reasoning that: me, as a writer does not know the reader personally, and so that my work is also accessible to everyone. This however, may or may not be applicable when it comes to a request since there are specifications.

🌷Thank you! This is Hykar. Pleasure to be of acquaintance!💫

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hunxi-after-hours · 1 year

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Hey, overenthusiastic anon who was really happy to see you're reading The Hands of the Emperor here!

I really want to know what you think when you're done, assuming you're not yet, because the last part is just… Emotions! So many! And it's just so good! It's probably my favourite part of the whole book 🥺

Also, is it a bit crazy that I'm genuinely kinda tempted to translate a 700-page book into my native language bc I think my mum would like it? It's probably crazy… also, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to actually go through with it to the end, I know myself 😂

you were right, anon, the whole last section of the book is an emotional gauntlet because homecoming is hard!!! homecoming is so hard when it is so joyous and so fraught, because happiness is the emotion best experienced in its purest form and it's so hard to find eloquence when your joy is mixed with disappointment, making it feel ungrateful and unappreciative when you love your family, you really do, but... oh, is it so much to wish for them to understand you a bit more? just to say those words without you having to beg for them, that they're proud of you, that yes, of course they want you back but they understand that you have more to do out there and they'll be here, waiting for you with open arms and open doors when you come back? that they know you will come back, and it is a matter of patience and support rather than the misguided hope you'd see the error of your ways?

UGH. yeah that's the good stuff. and honestly, if you're thinking about taking on this giant doorstopper as a translation project (700 pages?? my copy was closer to 900!!), I support you! not that I have much translation experience to work from (really the only projects of scale I've done are a few misguided donghua subtitling sprees), but I recommend trying out a chapter or two to get a feel for what the work will actually feel like, and setting small goals first like a chapter a month, or an hour a week, to see if that works for you. at least for me, it's no use thinking about presenting a finished product before I even start, but once I've incorporated something into my weekly schedule then I really am committed to it, y'feel

keep me posted if you end up giving it a try!!! never hurts to just try translating the first chapter even just as an intellectual exercise, to see what unexpected translation questions crop up for consideration

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horse-girl-anthy · 1 year

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks..

tbh this is extremely hard to answer because I have many interests. I’m sure I’ll feel bad when I remember the hundred other characters that should have made the list. I’m not putting any Ikuhara characters because it’d been too hard to pick and honestly I’d have to go through each work individually.

1. Tenma from Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. I don’t claim to be a complicated person, alright. I just think he’s nice. every time I read Monster I get more attached to him like a little baby duck, which is what all the other characters in that story do as well so I’m valid. trying to put it into words is hard--he’s just an alluring combo of pathetic, ridiculous, cool, strong, and kind. plus he kinda becomes a religious figure by the end and I’m a sucker for that shit.

2. Xie Lian from TGCF/Heaven Official’s Blessing. I read the novels this summer after watching the donghua. I was just expecting a decent BL, but what I got was epic historical supernatural fiction (and BL). Xie Lian is such an impressively written character. his story helped me deal with my own fall from grace, as it were, and was overall cathartic and engaging. plus he’s my type. step aside Hua Cheng, I’d die for him first.

3. Orel from Moral Orel. I love this show a lot because of its focus on the cruelty and hypocrisy of WASP America, and Orel is relatable for struggling to understand the bulltshit answers he gets to all his questions. he’s a lot more innocent than I was as a kid, but I think his kind of purity plays well against the satirical, dark edge of the show.

4. Reki from Haibane Renmei. most of the reasons I love her aren’t revealed until the very end of the show. I’ll say that I love her because she’s the ultimate manifestation of the story’s themes of guilt and redemption.

5. Ishida from Koe no Katachi. I just finished rereading this manga recently. if you want a character who does wrong, suffers, tries to change himself, but finds it isn’t that easy, Ishida is your man. he’s such a funny, well-written teen boy, but also someone I think anyone from any background can see themselves in--the good and the bad.

6. Naruto from... you know. Naruto was the first anime I became really obsessed with, when I was in middle school, and Naruto himself is the first character I can remember becoming attached to in an intense, lasting way. I loved him so much and I still have that attachment to him. he’s so, so cute, and so, so lovable. when I’m done with my first round of Ikuhara vids, I’m going to download Naruto so I can make my friend a Sasuke fancam and I’m also gonna make a Naruto edit just for me :)

7. Miyuki from Naoki Urasawa’s Happy! I’ve read everything by Urasawa except for Yawara, and I’m one of the only people who seems to have read Happy! I gotta say, would I pick it as one of his best works? no. I love everything he’s done, but something like 20th Century Boys or Billy Bat is clearly a more serious, meaningful story than Happy!, which comes out of his transition phase between writing romantic comedy sports manga and his later thrillers. however... Happy! is one of those works which makes me lose my mind regardless of quality. and Miyuki, the main character, is just so damn adorable. I find her a very appealing, sweet character. beyond that, kind of like Monster, the entire story is about people trying to break her down, but she refuses to ever give up and I love that sort of thing when played right.

8. Ged from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series. I am still digging into Le Guin’s body of work but I’ve read most of her novels and short story collections. I could absolutely make a top ten list with just characters from her books. however, I managed to narrow it down to just three from this list, all from the Earthsea books. Ged is the only character who appears in all six books, and the reader gets to experience close the entire course of his life. he starts as an arrogant, careless boy and grows into a wise man. Le Guin decided not to leave him after he does his final great act, and his story continues after he loses his power. Tehanu, the fourth book in the series, is probably my favorite book I’ve ever read, I’ve thought about writing an analysis comparing it with RGU, and one of its main themes is life after loss and trauma. his story interwines with the next two characters on this list.

9. Tenar from Earthsea. like Ged, we get to see most of her life throughout the books. book 2 contains her coming of age story, while Tehanu features her as a widow, struggling between the life of an ordinary woman and her status in the mythology of Earthsea. she brings so much fire, mirth, and strength to the series. she’s someone I wish I had in my life, and if you really pressed me, she’s my favorite character Le Guin ever wrote.

10. Tehanu from Earthsea. this character is a strange one to try to write about. I’ve seen people criticize her writing by saying there’s nothing to her, she’s just a vessel for the story. but I can’t agree. as someone who’s known people who went through severe childhood trauma, I think that Tehanu is written with thought and care. I love how unnerving and unknowable she is, but also how she is written like she’s any other child. the ending of her story in the final book made me sob and sob and sob.

sources for the last three images because they’re fanart: 1, 2, 3

#these are in no particular order btw..........#ty for the ask #i do love to talk about things i love!#i took off Oofuri characters #more Le Guin protagonists #some of my fav movie characters #other Urasawa characters #theres v minor characters whove made a huge impression on me like Misae from Paranoia Agent #but this is a p good summary of the characters who make me the craziest

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natsspammityspamspamham · 2 years

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Top Anime of 2021

Sequels and things I haven’t finished won’t be included. Mairimashita Iruma-kun (S2), Zombieland Saga: Revenge, and Hamefura (S2) were amazing sequels that should be watched.

Haven't watched/finished:

Mushoku Tensei

Mashiro no Oto

Megalo Box

Shiroi Suna no Aquatope

Blue Period

Ranking of Kings (only watched 5 episodes)

Disappointments:

Sonny Boy

This felt like a fever dream that wasn’t even worth it. It was stylistically fun, but from every single perspective, I just don’t understand what it was trying to go for or its point. I get feeling lost in high school, but that’s how you guys go about it? I don’t know, it was an interesting premise, but I couldn’t grow to like any of the characters at all.

Takt Op

Hmm... the animation was good. Besides that, everyone knows this anime was hot garbage and a disappointment to all.

Kaizoku Shoujo

Crunchyroll Originals are just not doing great. This had a good first episode then progressively got worse until the final episode which actually offended me, my intelligence (where there wasn’t much), and my time. Thanks for wasting my time. The romance could’ve been better, the premise was good and could’ve been worked on better, the characters could’ve been fleshed out better, there were so many missed shots that were just so painful to endure because you know the starting material looked great.

Good/Okay anime; Bad Adaptations:

Horimiya

Imagine trying to condense almost 120+ chapters into 12 episodes. Oh wait. They did. Yeah, it sped through during the second half and actually included scenes that I would’ve dropped out. Okay, maybe it’s just the one that got everyone on Twitter to call Hori homophobic (which I don’t fully agree with in the first place), so I really think that dropping it would’ve been for the best since it didn’t actually add anything to her character and was there for comedic value which I didn’t find funny which was the point of the scene. I digress. Just read the manga for more substance and cute moments.

Tokyo Revengers

Until the last arc, I thought Tokyo Revengers was amazing as a manga. It was a mediocre anime. That’s all. The manga drags on, so the segment about the anime shouldn’t.

I guess they were okay...

Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu

This anime was mediocre, but I needed something for this spot. Honestly, it started out funny then dragged on. The art wasn’t great, but it was funny. John is the best character.

Vanitas no Carte

For all the stuff I say about Vanitas, it was okay. The art was great, and I like the aesthetic, but I would still punt and kick Vanitas given the chance.

Uramichi Oniisan

Same problems with number 10 except I related, and it stayed funnier for longer. The art was bad, but that’s because the entire budget went to the voice actors. Every single named character was voiced by a really popular voice actor. The casting was insane.

Top Six

6. Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu

Despite how often I trash-talk this anime, it was actually good and entertaining. It just didn’t live up to the hype/bar that was set. The art was good, the story was good (even with the qualms I have), the characters... they exist, and I really relate to some of the things that come up.

5. Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi

I nearly skipped on this anime because I thought it looked stupid, but this anime was so good. It was so funny, so cute, and it was a romance that doesn’t take place in high school. I really like that.

4. SK8

This anime just hit a lot of good points with me, and I really liked it. I like the characters, I liked the story (and I don’t even like sports anime!), and I liked the art. I would recommend it to anyone.

(Note: I can’t really say whether the order of 1-3 is right. I chose this order on a whim.

3. Link Click

While technically a donghua, I’m including it on the list. This show was amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat, and I am waiting for the next season. Maybe I arbitrarily put it on the 3rd spot because I’m salty about the next season not being out yet.

2. Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

I skipped this until hearing how good the animation was, and this really sold me on how great of a voice actress Atsumi Tanezaki is. The music, animation, voice acting, story, execution, everything was amazing!

1. Oddtaxi

Oh man, this anime lives up to the hype, and as much as I’m adverse to furry anime, this is not a furry anime! The animal component has nothing to do with the story! Watch Oddtaxi! It’s so detail-focused, riveting, and I had such a fun time binge-watching it. Who knew that madness from gacha games could be an interesting subplot? The style and aesthetic fits just right.

#dino watches anime

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adiawu · 1 year

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Reflective Blog Post - Toward Dickinson Goals

--- Adia Wu

--- A senior student at Dickinson College

When I first got to Dickinson College, I was a bit worried about if this was the right place for me. The school campus is located in a small town, Carlisle, which is in the central of Pennsylvania, also with its small student population, I was nervous about making social connections and finding opportunities for my future developments as I was unsure about the resources and opportunities that the college could provide. The slower pace of life here was also another fact that I felt not used to at first, consider someone coming from a more urban background. As the result, in the first few months, I focused on getting involved in various clubs and curriculums, trying to explore more experiences here. When I started to discover the courses and curriculums here, I found that Dickinson actually offer a wide range of activities and courses, which allowed me to not only expand my social circle but also develop new skills and interests toward my education. I then gradually became more comfortable in my new surroundings and learned to appreciate the unique benefits of studying at a smaller institution like Dickinson College.

I actually gained lots of benefits during my four years at Dickinson, I discovered that the college's size and setting were actually great for my personal growth and academic success, a slower life pace in a smaller town might sounds boring at first, however, it was really helpful for me to calm down and focus on my study. The close-knit community also allowed me to form strong relationships with faculty members, who have provided me with valuable guidance and supports in both my education studies and personal life. For example, when it was hard for me to return to the U.S. from China in 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Dickinson provided me with an opportunity to continue my studies at a great local university in China, Shanghai Donghua University. This unique experience helped me learn about the Chinese educational system and expand my cultural understanding, which is what I hadn't been exposed to during my seven years of studying in the U.S. I also made connections with the local Chinese students and faculties, creating a global network of friends and professional contacts. This international perspective, combined with the interdisciplinary education at Dickinson, prepared me to lead a fulfilling life as an engaged global citizen, which is right in line with the Dickinson mission.

After I become a computer science major student at Dickinson, I found that the courses I took offered a comprehensive and well-rounded education. The CS curriculums here at Dickinson not only provided me with a strong theoretical foundation in computer science principles but also equipped me with practical skills that translated well into the professional real world. For example, my foundation in computer programming was significantly strengthened by taking CS 130 and CS 132 during my first year at Dickinson. CS 130 provided me with fundamental knowledge of Python, a versatile and widely-used programming language, while CS 132 introduced me to Java, another popular language known for its versatility and object-oriented principles. These courses played a crucial role in securing an internship for me in the summer of 2020, where my main responsibility during this internship was to help develop a machine learning models using Python which was related to Transformer Object Detection API. The knowledge I gained from CS 130 and CS 132 enabled me to hit the ground running in my internship, providing a solid foundation for working with programming languages and understanding the underlying principles of machine learning.

Another example can be CS 190 and CS 290 course that I took from Dickinson, which focused on the fundamentals of open source projects and version control systems, and delved into webpage development, covering topics such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and responsive design. These courses proved to be invaluable during my summer 2022 internship at a blockchain company, where my primary responsibility was to help develop a webpage application designed to enable customers to switch between cryptocurrencies with lower service fees. I collaborated with a team of developers to implement back-end functionalities, optimize the user experience, and ensure the security of transactions. I secured this internship opportunity by demonstrating my understanding of webpage development and knowledge of open-source projects during the interview (since mostly all the works are done through GitLab, which is similar to the open-source experiences that I had in these two courses using GitHub). The hands-on experience I acquired in CS 190 and CS 290 not only prepared me for real-world challenges but also gave me the confidence to excel in my internship and contribute effectively to the project's success.

Moreover, I took on a capstone project for my senior seminar focusing on open-source software in machine learning. I worked on a tech-spike project in which a deep-learning model was developed to estimate the infection rate of the COVID-19 virus using training data such as CT-scanned lung images; this project enhanced my knowledge and mastery of Pytorch considerably. I am also contributing to an open-source project called Hugging’s Transformers (https://github.com/AdiaWu/transformers), a collection of deep-learning libraries that are applied in modeling speech, text, and image applications. I believe that my education at Dickinson has prepared me well for a successful career in computer science and has empowered me to contribute meaningfully to the ever-evolving world of technology.

As no doubt, I also realized that there was still much for me to learn during the actual job and the actual working with the project, but the foundation I had built through my coursework at Dickinson allowed me to quickly adapt and contribute effectively to the team and projects. What I gained through my learning at Dickinson ensured that I was capable of applying the programming techniques and best practices I had learned in class to real-world challenges, while also expanding my understanding of machine learning algorithms and prepared me well for any other works challenges that I may encounter in the future.

As I embarked on the next phase of my academic journey, which is to pursue a graduate degree, the support and guidance I received from the faculty at Dickinson again proved to be invaluable. The professor provided a lot helps to assist me during the application process, ensuring my success in transitioning to graduate-level studies. They provided timely submission of recommendation letters, which highlighted my strengths and accomplishments as a student and as an individual, emphasizing my readiness for the challenges of a graduate program. The Dickinson faculties also offered valuable guidance on which schools and programs would be the best fit for my academic interests and career goals, helping me make informed decisions as I navigated the complex application process. Their insight and experience in the field of computer science allowed me to identify the graduate programs that would not only align with my objectives but also provide the most enriching learning experiences and opportunities for growth.

All in all, Dickinson College has not only provided me with a strong skills in computer science field but also prepared me well for the challenges and opportunities for pursuing graduate degrees. The faculty's unwavering support and guidance throughout my academic journey have been instrumental in shaping my success and ensuring a smooth transition to the next stage of my education and career. One long-term professional objective of mine after study is to take the knowledge and computational literacy I gained from Dickinson and contribute to open-source software development, specifically in the areas of database system, information systems, and machine learning. I believe that open-source development has the power to inspire passion and encourage the pursuit of life-long learning, regardless of background and prior experience. While I aspire to become a better data professional myself, I also hope to inspire others through my work just as others have inspired me.

#Dickinson College #college experience #graduating

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aka-cereal · 3 years

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I have decided to pretend the tgcf eng dub does not exist until I inevitably hate watch it

#at fist i wasn't too worried cause its like a big project and theres no way bilibili will let FUNimation mess it up #like mispronunciation sure #but then i saw the summary #yeah its not gonna be good if they got it that wrong wtf #its like they didn't even try to learn what the story was about #just look over it briefly and be like yep it has some of the same words should be good!#also spoiling sl is hc????#like ik it's not really a spoiler but they could have said hua cheng the ghost king not san lang #its so unprofessional i expect so much more from such a big company #and like i understand its their first donghua but come on #thats no excuse #the more i think about it the more angry i get #tgcf

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bigbadredpanda · 3 years

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Hi,, I hope I'm not bothering you with this and I'm sorry if my English isn't good, I hope you can understand my questions. I've been thinking about this for a while now and I tried to find information online but I found nothing.

MDZS is the first Chinese Novel I've read and I still haven't finished it yet,,but I've heard about rumors that said that MXTX is in jail, because she sold copies of her books. The rumor isn't true, however it made me wonder something,, I know China's censorship on lgbt related stuff is really heavy and that's why the donghua and drama adaptations of MDZS and other bl works are censored, but I didn't know that authors couldn't sell their novels.

So my question is,, how does MXTX earn money if she isn't allowed to sell her works? She has already finished 3 Danmei novels, and her works are really popular, they even have manhua, donghua or drama adaptations. The adaptations have earned quite a lot of money, but since she's an anonymous writer, does part of it even go to her?

To make the drama, the donghua and the manhua, producers had to ask her permission, I think. So, since the adaptations are doing well, she should get part of the profit, but how does it work? If the Chinese Government really is against lgbt themed works, shouldn't they have done something about her?

I really love her works and I hope that she earns something since she is the one that created all of them. Thanks for considering my question!!

Hi both of you and welcome to the cnovel fandom! Quick intro of the author, MXTX uses a pen name like many webnovel authors, it’s the abbreviation of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu which literally means “Ink Fragrance, Copper [Money] Stench” (墨香铜臭). Fun fact, it’s her mother who coined that name. MXTX wished to pursue a major in literature during university but her mother wanted her to graduate in economy instead while keeping writing on the side, that way she would have the fragrance of ink in one hand and the stench of money in the other.

We also know that she is fairly young, she wrote Scum Villain while she was a university student and she started working on the outline of MDZS in her final year. Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official’s Blessing) is the third book she completed and a fourth novel is/was in the works, its provisional title is “No rest for the death god” and is supposed to be a supernatural story taking place in a modern setting.

MXTX is one of the most popular webnovel authors on Jinjiang Literature City, the webnovel platform, but her popularity also comes with a great many detractors. You’ve heard some of the malicious rumours circulating in the English-speaking side of the fandom, it’s just a drop in the ocean compared to the outpouring of heated controversies in the Chinese side as the latter can have real-life consequences. There is a different nexus between the creator and the audience and the fandom culture is not the same either, it can be quite deleterious due to the tendency to report any content that one disagrees with.

Censorship in China is... ever-changing and nebulous. How severe it is depends on the medium. Nevertheless, gay literature (同志文学) does exist in China and it is distinct from danmei. I also want to nuance a bit the pervasive idea that anything lgbt is systematically and relentlessly censored in China. The reality is more complex than that and it would be dismissive of the hard-fought gains and visibility that Chinese lgbt activists have obtained these past two decades (some concrete examples: the work of the lgbt centre in Beijing or the pride festival in Shanghai). I don’t know if people are aware of this but lgbt dating apps are thriving in China, the most popular one, Blued, is also the largest lgbt social network worldwide. With that said, the official policy towards homosexuality is the three No’s: “no approval, no disapproval, no promotion”. A stance comparable to the “don’t ask, don’t tell”. It’s not explicit persecution but it manifests in the silencing of public discussion and the limiting media representation of homosexuality. In 2017, the top media regulator that oversaw radio, film and television issued guidelines banning a number of things, this included obscene and violent content, homosexuality, superstitious pseudoscience (such as reincarnation or spirit possession). On top of that, there is also an ongoing crackdown on online pornography that gets increasingly intense. And that concerns everyone on the internet, it’s astonishing the lengths netizens will go to in order to circumvent the censorship, new slang is developed to refer obliquely to banned words, fanfics are published in image format to prevent text recognition, etc... The censorship might be increasingly prevalent but netizens push back with their resourcefulness. Pushing back is also not without significant risk. Perhaps you have heard of the case of the danmei author that received a severe jail sentence? A few Western media picked up on that and criticised the ruling that was deemed homophobic. Chinese reactions tell a slightly different story, the author's crime was not writing danmei, she was in fact accused of making a profit by illegally producing and disseminating pornographic material. I’m not too keen on the details but it seems she printed the books herself and sold them online. To some Chinese observers, the ruling was not discriminatory because she did break the law. To others, it was absurd because this law dates from an era when internet barely existed and it would have been much more laborious to mass-produce and share porn at that time. There’s a bit of truth in all these points of views. It’s also not disingenuous to say that lgbt content is more likely to be targeted than het content even if the charges are not directly lgbt-related.

Usually contracted authors of webnovel platforms have a more secure status. They get a fee from the purchase of VIP chapters as well as tips from the readers. Other sources of revenue arise when webnovels get popular enough to get the opportunity to be published through official channels or when adaptation rights are sold (I assume that the author receives a share of that deal but perhaps does not get any further financial gain from the adaptation or its merch).

To support the author, I would suggest purchasing TGCF on Jinjiang (guide) or buying the physical versions of her three novels in Chinese (shop, change to English with top-right world icon), the special boxsets of MDZS and TGCF come with tons of goodies!

Hope I could be of service and that my tirade was mildly informative ^^'

#mxtx #answers #nerdsupreme #meandering thoughts #trashysiomai

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pair-annoyed · 4 years

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Anime I Watched This Summer

Summer 2020 has officially come to a close. It’s fall in Animal Crossing and the trees are beginning to turn. Much like quarantine, I spent a lot of my free time watching anime when I wasn’t stressing over starting college. Now that the school year has begun, I thought it would be nice to reflect on everything I’ve watched!

These Anime were seen between 6/14 - 8/31 (my Birthday!) and are listed in chronological order.

They will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn't like about each show!

1. Bakemono no Ko - 8/10

This was such a great way to start out the summer! I love the dynamic between Kumatetsu and Ren. Overall its a little cliche, but it’s also very wholesome. It’s by the same studio that made Wolf Children (which I loved!). so I knew it was going to be good. My favorite aspect of this movie was its backgrounds and world building!

2. Wan Sheng Jie - 9/10

Oh my gosh! I know that this is technically a donghua, but its on MAL, so it counts. This show quickly became my favorite slice of life of all time. I adore the art style and all of the characters. The comedy, plot, and design blends so well together. Everything in Wan Sheng Jie feels warm and comfy. It’s also confirmed for a second season! After seeing its cliff hanger ending, I’m so anxious for what comes next!

3. Dororo - 7/10

I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for studio MAPPA. I really liked the historical aspects of Dororo. From the outfits to the ways characters behave, its grounded in the constraints of feudal Japan. I would have given this show a higher score if it was a little more grounded in science. I feel like more time should’ve been given to the demons and antagonists of the show. Our MC was so over powered, which made the final fights of the series more lack-luster. I think its less of the anime’s fault and more because the original source material is from the 60s. That being said, I loved this show! It was cute and action packed. Though it isn’t perfect, it holds its own.

4. Bungou Stray Dogs - 5/10

The concepts and action are misconstrued in Bungou Stary Dogs. This is one of those shows that I chose to watch because it was all over Tumblr. The powers themselves are cool, but I can’t understand why this series is so praised. At it’s core its predictable and basic. The fights seemed low stakes and low energy. None of the humor really felt like it belonged. It tried too hard to be something it isn’t. I don’t think I’ll watch beyond this first season.

5. Kami no Tou - 4.5/10

First off, fuck Rachel, me and my homies hate Rachel. I really really had high hopes for Tower of God. It paves the way for Webtoon adaptations in the future. Its such a shame that this adaptation SUCKED. I have not read the source material, I’m going solely based on the anime. It wasn’t good? It was horrible. I hate Bam, I hate Rachel. I think all the characters expect Rak were awful. Please don’t make a season 2. Please. If you’re interesting in Tower of God, just read the webtoon.

6. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - 7/10

Shoujo anime is my guilty pleasure. I especially liked the way Gekkan Shoujo tackled Sakura and Nozaki’s relationship. Besides just the main characters, even the side characters were enjoyable! It was a fun and creative show. My only complaint is how dense Nozaki is, but I also absolutely love that part of him.

7. Jojo no Kimyou no Bouken (Parts 1-2) - 6.5/10

Jojo is not the saving grace of shounen anime. It isn’t something super revolutionary and it certainly will never be a 10/10. Part 1 was so slow and boring. Jonathan was just mediocre at best. I definitely liked Joseph a LOT more than Jonathan. Part 2 overall was much easier to watch than part 1. The fights are good, but there’s just something about Jojo that I can’t get behind. Although I’m completely bashing this series, I’m going to keep watching it. At this point, I wanna know what a stand is.

8. Clannad - 5.5/10

I was expecting Clannad to be sad, but instead I got a cute, slice of life, romance. It wasn’t unenjoyable, but it was also a pretty slow-burning show. I loved watching Nagisa and Okazaki slowly fall in love with each other. It was funny at times and sad at other points. I am currently watching Clannad: After Story (which I’ve heard is heartbreaking), so I’m hoping to get some catharsis out of that.

9. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai... - 6/10

This show is only 12 episodes, and yet it still has filler episodes for some reason? I’m a person who doesn’t typically watch isekai because the genre is so over done. However, when it’s done in a very specific way it’s really fun to watch! This show was definitely a lot of fun, it’s also cute and has so many interesting character-character interactions. The ending is painfully cliche, but I think it adds to this shows charm.

10. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen - 8/10

I loved Love is War so much! I love their weird romantic dynamic. I love the characters, and I love the animation. It’s over the top and executes it humor masterfully. The entire show fills you with anticipation for the two main characters. Kaguya is my favorite character. Although I haven’t seen season two yet, I most certainly will! I’m so upset I hadn’t seen this show sooner.

11. Great Pretender - 8.5/10

This show is so colorful and bubbly. The animation is so smooth and they are able to tackle so many different kinds of things given its plot. The whole show itself just feels like summertime. It came out not to long ago, so some people may not be familiar with it. On top of the show itself, the music is great, with a Jazzy OP and and ED that features Freddie Mercury

12. Steins;Gate 0 - 8/10

I loved the original Stein;Gate so much! So it’s no surprise how much I liked the second season. It builds significantly off the first season in a sort of “off shot” OVA kind of way. The events of Steins;Gate 0 don’t actually happen, but that doesn’t stop it from being meaningful. The big “twist” was predictable and a bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed this. Granted, I’m bias.

13. Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai - 9.5/10

I sobbed. So much. This movie was phenomenal, it was such a trip. Having watched the original series, this tore my heart apart. It gets a high score for being able to take the characters I love and creating a wonderfully emotional experience. If you haven’t seen Bunny Girl Senpai, please watch it, and then watch this movie. You won’t regret it!

14. Hotaru no Haka - 6/10

Grave of the Fireflies made me stop watching anime for a while. Studio Ghibli created something grim, something that leaves the viewers feeling hollow. Its a movie about WWII from Japan’s perspective. As an American, all I could feel while watching this was immense guilt. I will say though, that some of the movies main plot could have easily been prevented if the main character had swallowed his pride. His younger sister was also my least favorite character. I get that she’s a kid and that kids are fussy, but you would think that during wartime, she’d be more understanding and at least try to eat the things she dislikes.

15. Yagate Kimi ni Naru - 9/10

This was a great way to end the summer. This is more that just GL romance, its a love story. Its about growing up and learning to understand your feelings. I related to Yuu so much, which made this more emotional than I expected. It’s really unlike another romance anime I’ve seen. I hope it gets confirmed for a second season. If not, I’ll be reading the manga.

Seasonal Shows: (Things that are still airing as of 9/5/2020)

1. The God of High School 7.5/10

Another thing done by studio MAPPA. Are you surprised? I absolutely love the action in GoH. The plot however, is all over the place. The story seems fragmented and hard to follow. Like Tower of God, it was poorly adapted. I’m giving it such a high score, because it’s SO much more enjoyable then Tower of God.

2. Enen no Shouboutai: Ni no Shou - 4/10

My thoughts on season 2 are about the same as my thoughts on season 1. The only difference is that this season has more Jojo references. I’ve rated it lower because its so repetitive. I’m so sick of watching it, but I’ve got to see it through the bitter end.

3. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8.5/10

All I’m going to say about Re:Zero is that I love it. I can’t give an accurate review of it because I’ve been hyping this season since it was announced. If you’re into non-typical isekai, watch Re:Zero, its so enjoyable!

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annalacerda17 · 2 years

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I’m sorry for bothering you again but i was just thinking about JC in the donghua. I personally don’t really care about JC (but i do think people need to stop excusing his actions). When the donghua ended i saw a lot JC stans being angry at the ending, i don’t really know understand why but i would like your thoughts on that. Even though the donghua definitely has it’s problems, i do really like the way they did wangxian and their characterisation a lot more then with cql and that’s probably the most important to me.

It's not a bother!

I think that although it's not perfect, the donghua is still one of the better MDZS adaptations. It's much better than cql and I personally prefer it to the manhua just because I like the donghua's character designs better.

I think the donghua definitely understood the story they were adapting and it's characters.

When it comes to adaptions, I mostly look at wether the adaption was able to express the main themes and character arcs well. The donghua has its problems. I'm not fond of the way the donghua softened the Jiangs and their messed up portrayal of JFM and YZY's relationship and I don't like how they gave JC more scenes and generally tried to soften his character, especially in the first season (I'm not a fan of the first season, but it improved on the second season and I really liked the third season). I don't think this was a lack of understanding the story, but a deliberate choice because JC is (for some reason) a popular character. I'm still more forgiving towards the donghua than cql, because despite all that, the donghua managed to mostly stay within the boundary of the story's themes.

So, I liked the ending of the donghua.

JC stans won't be happy unless JC gets the VIP marry sue protagonist treatment. They were unhappy with the novel, and will be unhappy with any adaption that unless it turns JC into the MC and hands him everything he wants on silver platter.

About JC's ending in the donghua, here's what I think: JC just tried to whip WWX, who'd just saved his ass again (while JC had been trying to besiege and kill him again), then he found out he owed everything he is to WWX and Wen Qing, and responded with more violence towards an already hurt WWX, and JC stans still say JC was the real victim because LWJ knocked off his guan. How the hell does that make any sense? Are they really trying to sell the idea that JC's hairstyle is more important than others' lives? JC is ungrateful, spiteful, jealous and an all around poisonous person, he led a siege on WWX and the Wen Remnants he knew were innocent when he knew he owed Wen Qing and Wen Ning his life and when he saw his sister sacrifice her life to save WWX. He went on to spend 13 hunting down anyone who reminded him of WWX to torture and kill even when they turned out be innocent. He tried to kill WWX again after WWX's resurrection. All of that and he faced virtually no punishment. He can take a little humiliation, and should be thankful that's all he's getting.

Personally, I think his lack of external punishment works well with MDZS's themes about letting go of resentment. In a way, JC's punishment is there in his refusal to move on, in his inability to step out of self entitlement and victim mentality, in his refusal to overcome his shortcomings, in his self centerd worldview, all of which make him lonely.So far, we see that he already destroyed most of his ancestors' legacy and ideals, so I think the natural progression is for the Jiang sect to eventually fade away with JC's death or become part of the Jin sect under JL. JC hurts others, but he doesn't see that the one he's destroying is himself. That's what resentment does to ppl, and JC exemplifies that very well.

In MDZS, happiness is always a matter of choice: YZY, for example, got the husband she wanted, she had money, two children (a boy and a girl, even!), prestige, power as the leader of Lotus Pier, a loyal friend in Madam Jin, and basically all external things she could ask for, but was ultimately still unhappy her whole life because she chose to focus on the wrong things, and refused to put even a little effort into achieving the happiness she desired.

JC is exactly like that. He has everything, but is still unhappy. In a way, happiness is like a journey: others can tell you the way, but they can't walk your feet for you. WWX tries to help JC time and again, but JC refuses to take a single step, so there's nothing anyone can do.

Because of this, I'm not fond of JC going into seclusion in the donghua, because his inability to self reflect and refusal to change is so integral to his character. On the other hand, his seclusion might just be out of embarrassment, which would make more sense with his character. 🤔

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mdzs donghua

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danhoemei · 3 years

Note

What do you think of the reconciliation of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng that is confirmed (post canon) in Lan Wangji's letter?

Tbh I just learnt something new from you anon lmao.

First of all, let's establish the post canon here, as I found that it's from cql. I come from the novel so I had no idea about it.

Although all adaptations spring from the same source, all of them have smaller or bigger differences and divergences. Thus, it's not that easy to say what is "canon" here, e.g. something that happens in the drama doesn't mean that it's canon for the novel as well, and the other way around, and as I've seen so far both are quite different in some aspects, maybe even with a few contradictions.

Another thing is the source of the information. For me the strongest will always be the source material, and additional bits of information from interviews, author's posts etc. can be treated with less weight. I had experiences in other fandoms or media where the author started spewing nonsense out of spite, or literally contradicted what was in the original story, so since then I take additional bits added post-release as a free candy which I can take or not.

Now, coming back to mdzs's adaptations. The manhua and donghua are considerably close to the novel, so I consider the novel as the scroll of truth here. However, when it comes to the drama I kind of think of it as an alternate version with its own rights, and I personally pretty much separate these two. So I'd say that the letter could be treated as canon for cql, but not necessarily for the novel.

So now the question is, do I take this candy?

Gods in all heavens, heck yes.

Even though I treat all adaptations more or less separate, there are certain parts which I will fiercely headcanon no matter what, in all of them. And one of these things is that yunmeng bros need each other and will gravitate towards each other whether they want it or not. Initially, the main reason could be only jin ling. They love him and care about him, so even if both of them avoided each other they would still have this connection and possibly bump into each other from time to time. Jin ling is the last part of their family who they loved very much, but both of them are also these last bits of it. And it is very clear how strong a family instinct they have. Yunmeng is also wwx's home, where he grew up and what he longed for many times, no matter how much time passed. He would want to come back there from time to time, even if he was thrown away from lotus pier. What about jiang cheng, who threw him out? Even when he shouted at wwx to leave (before the whole golden core revelation), to me it seemed like another thing he spouted in the heat of the moment when his emotions and grievances took reins, as he instantly froze and tried to stop wwx who complied and turned away. So I don't imagine him taking excessive steps to keep wwx away later on, especially after his approach changed quite significantly towards the end, even towards wen ning who he initially hated with every fiber of his being.

And don't get me wrong - I don't see them as sweet bros longing for each other who just need to sit down once and talk and it'll be dandy. They have a ton of issues (mostly on jiang cheng’s side) and unspoken secrets between each other which are not easy to disclose but which hold them back very significantly. Mostly jiang cheng needs to change for this to happen, let his thick as hell walls drop a bit to be less on guard and be more open, and stop constantly hurting others because of his lack of control and toxic coping mechanisms. All that stems from childhood trauma, severe inferiority complex, pathological parents who didn't give him support and love he needed. But not one thing from these justifies his behaviour and how he compensates or lashes out when anything triggers him. Still, in the root of his being is love and care for his family, which could be seen so many times when he made sacrifices in order to protect his loved ones or the whole sect, each time when he's overprotective of jin ling, also each time he helped wwx despite being very vocal about the opposite. He's a contradictory character with tons of issues, which he unfortunately takes out on others.

So their reconciliation in my eyes is not gonna be easy and fast. It's a long and bumpy road, began with a long period of absence from each other's lives, then featuring arguments or clashes, unsaid feelings, secrets, and sacrifices finally spilling (probably in shouting voices and tears). I like to think that with time jiang cheng could mature emotionally and learn to be healthier, not only thanks to being surrounded by people who love him and care for him, but also because maybe those people could open his eyes on his behaviour and teach him a bit. As jin ling grows older, he could get bolder and more confident, and say what he doesn’t like about his uncle’s way of being or treating others. I also like to imagine wwx being more direct in his grievances or reproaches and basically being done with jiang cheng’s bs, because he is now happy, with lwj by his side, and may learn to prioritise himself instead of constantly giving to others and sacrificing himself and his own comfort. If jiang cheng is like that then why should wwx deal with him, if he doesn't feel like it? So what if it's jiang cheng who needs to swallow his pride and finally make the first move, if he actually wants any kind of contact with his brother? Maybe there is a banquet at yunmeng after a long time passes, and he invites wwx. Maybe it doesn’t go so well but later on they still keep bumping into each other and having smaller or bigger conversations, maybe meanwhile jin ling gets involved in something and they collaborate to help him. Bit by bit, I like to think that they both slowly (and finally) learn and understand each other more. And that at some point they'd be like a true and close family, not the one they were - something different, more grown up and mature. That they can travel to each other, have casual conversations and goof around, maybe steal some lotus pods together again, but this time with more mirth and fun than those competitive teenage years way back.

I just... want these two to be happy and there for each other ;__; They lost so much, but they still have each other and I don’t want them to forget that as well, especially when they clearly have so much love and care in them ;___;

So yes, I am very much into taking the letter as a general canon for me, because this is already what I headcanoned anyway ;d

And just a reminder! This is all my own self indulgent headcanon based on my interpretation of these characters and their relationship (rather from the novel’s perspective, I can’t talk with confidence about the drama). Take what you want from it, or don’t take anything at all. These are stories made for us to enjoy and reflect on, not fight or spread hate over, so go wild with your imagination and headcanons, enjoy and have fun <3

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thosch3i · 3 years

Note

Hi hi! So the lost tombs and chronology all super confuse me. So tlt2 ended on a cliffhanger that was not resolved by tlt3 which is ultimate note, but now there is another tlt3 that I am guessing is made by the same studio as tlt2 (but not UN) that actually follows tlt2? And it has the same WPZ as tlt2 (but sadly different WX, ZQL though I’m sure these guys are great). You seem to know what you’re talking about so I’m hoping you can help!

UN also ended on a cliff hanger so I’m wondering if they’ll get a sequel from their studio that comes before tomb of the sea.

ahhh hello anon! yes ahaha the dmbj dramas are certainly very confusing--because they keep switching the screenwriters/entire production team between dramas. huanrui did tlt1 (2015), tlt2 (2019), and the sequel to tlt2 (2021). they're also technically the production company for un (2020), but linghe did like all the directing/casting/writing so its significantly different in tone and quality from the other dramas huanrui produced. npss (dmbj author) did sha hai (2018) and tltr (2020), with sha hai being in collab with linghe, so you can see lots of parallels with un and shared cast. (gonna add that i dont know much about the m9 because that’s not what im personally interested in, so i’m only going by stories with wu xie & the iron triangle.)

unfortunately, the dramas pretty have no continuity as a result of all the weird shit and multiple studios doing different dramas and messy stuff going on behind the scenes. the author's production company currently has all the rights back for filming future dramas, which is......imo, a good thing for book fans who love the author but a 😬 thing for book fans who like the original story more than what the author is now doing with it. I'll uh avoid saying too much opinion stuff though so no more on that 😅

that aside! yes 云顶天宫 “explore with the note” part 2......is the direct sequel to tlt2 and done by the same studio. unfortunately the writers are different and im not sure how much of the production team is the same either. idk how much you know about the novels so brief summary here--for the chinese version, the main story has 9 parts split among 8 books (though the official eng tls have each part being a different book) with some important content being as follows:

official eng title “cavern of blood zombies” (first time wx goes into a tomb, first t3j meeting)

official eng title “angry sea, hidden sands” (xisha seabed tomb, introduce a-ning)

official eng title “bronze tree of death” (bronze tree in qinling, wx & lao yang solo adventure)

official eng title “palace of doom” (heavenly palace on the clouds, introduce bronze gate)

official eng title “deadly desert winds” (golmud, introduce hei xiazi, desert, rainforest, tamutuo)

official eng title “graveyard of a queen” (the rest of that arc, wu sanxing & xie lianhuan reveal, jade meteorite, amnesiac xiaoge and escape, sanshu vanishes for good--also i think the official eng tl covers a couple chapters of the beginning of the next part too)

阴山古楼 (searching for xiaoge’s memories in banai, miluotuo cave, i think introduction of wu erbai)

邛笼石影 (auction/hotel iron triangle fight, introduce xiao hua & xiuxiu, wx & xh on the mountains alone while pz & xg go with granny huo)

finale (rescue from zhang family mansion, changbai mountain goodbye, 10 years promise)

after the main story are the main sequels:

zang hai hua (tibetan sea flower; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie a few years after xiaoge has entered the gate, searching to understand xiaoge’s past

sha hai (tomb of the sea; unfinished & abandoned) covers wu xie’s plan to wipe out the wang family, after zhh

chongqi (reunion: the sound of the providence) covers wu xie’s lung disease and how he recovers from that, set after they pick up xiaoge again from the bronze gate. thunder city and everything.

灯海寻尸&万山极夜 (still updating on wechat) don’t worry about this one since it’s still a WIP lol

btw between sha hai and chongqi there’s also ten years later (a short story) that covers how wu xie and pangzi pick up xiaoge from the bronze gate and take him home

the dramas Do Not Connect To Each Other At All, which the exception of tlt2 & tlt2 pt2 somewhat, but they go in this order:

盗墓笔记 / the lost tomb 1 (2015): covers part 1 but with major OCs and filler, and includes the auction scene from part 8 for some reason, so introduces xiao hua early.

怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 / the lost tomb 2 (2019) technically “explore with the note”: covers parts 2 & 3 but with major OCs and filler, introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu (and hei xiazi briefly) early. last couple episodes also cover the beginning of part 4. not a direct sequel to tlt1 despite being done by the same studio.

云顶天宫 / heavenly palace on the clouds (2021) technically also “explore with the note”: covers part 4 with major OCs and filler (and the same changes carrying over from tlt2). some episodes are identical to the last couple episodes of tlt2. works as a direct sequel only if you ignore the last couple episodes of tlt2 that take place in the snowy mountains. (those episodes of tlt2 were filmed after this drama was filmed, and im still not sure why they dragged the wu xie and xiaoge from tlt2 back to changbai mountain to film those episodes.)

终极笔记 / ultimate note (2020): covers parts 5-8 with minor OCs and minimal filler, also introduces xiao hua & xiuxiu early. the only adaptation that resembles its source material most of the time.

沙海 / tomb of the sea (2018): covers the second sequel with major OCs and filler. includes some bits from zhh and the short story “three days of silence”.

重启之极海听雷 / the lost tomb reboot (2020): covers third sequel with major OCs and filler.

in addition there is the prequel series mystic nine (2016) and side movies for the dramas that the author produced. there is also a single standalone movie--time raiders (2016) that is....well it’s. very strange. it’s fully subbed on youtube if you’re interested?

the best way to watch the dramas is to assume each one is its own self-contained AU set along different points of the dmbj timeline because even the dramas the author himself worked on don’t have continuity LOL (and with the exception of ultimate note & sha hai most of the time, also assume most characters are pretty OOC from the novels).

i uh regret to inform you though, that ultimate note will not be getting a sequel unless the author magically decides to not care about making money anymore and sells the rights to film the finale to linghe or something ^^;;;; it’s....unfortunate bc un is the most highly-rated dmbj adaptation on douban by A Lot, but it’s an adaptation that the author had literally nothing to do with whatsoever.

more information on some of the side movies/stage plays/manhua/donghua here.

summaries of the main novel stories (currently through zhh) here.

edited mtl (some of which has apparently been looked over by native cn speakers) of the novels following where official eng tls end here. (there are many scattered extras as well.)

you can get the official eng tl books/ebooks on amazon or elsewhere(?), but if you have problems purchasing them or like you just dont wanna support amazon or something, dm me off anon. (also i dont want to be mean but frankly the official tls are kinda bad too ^^;;;)

a rough timeline (spoilers galore) for the dmbj novels here. (fair warning im not 100% sure how accurate all of this is--they put three days of silence as 1991 but looking at the info in zhh, it seems like it should have been before the 1950s...but it’s more than fine as a general overview.)

anyway i hope that was helpful in some way? dmbj is a Very Confusing thing to get into ahahaha, one of my twitter mutuals has made a few carrds if you think they might be helpful: book, dramas (slightly out of date bc it says heavenly palace hasn’t aired yet), ultimate note (got its own carrd by virtue of being the only adaptation aside from sha hai sometimes that most og book fans acknowledge lol ^^;;;)

also anon if anything wasn’t clear or if you had more questions feel free to ask again sorry ahahaha im kinda tired rn @.@

#dmbj #shouting into the void #ask #anon #....im kinda tired bc i just finished watching ydtg so i hope that doesnt come across *too much* in this post LOL #and its probably obvious which adaptation im biased towards but after reading the novels i cant really help it

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grewlikefancyflowers · 3 years

Note

As someone who started with CQL and has read parts of the novel and seen parts of the Donghua, though I understand your problems with CQL (god knows that many factors contributed to it being a mess), I do still like that adaptation and think that overall, it’s faithful to the characters.

While yes, they may act ooc in certain parts, but the essence doesn’t change and I personally believe that it’s primarily the lack of reading comprehension and a bizarre need for grey characters readers nowadays have, that has resulted in horrendous and inaccurate interpretations and meta.

No matter what version, reckless or not, it’s obvious that WWX is paying attention and is well aware of the consequences. Only JZX and JYL’s deaths were a surprise and accident, and even then, they both, as much as I’d like to respect the fictional dead too, were actually the reckless parties and paid for it with their lives. WWX is a good, the most moral character in the series (with his only equals being his husband and the new generation they’ve influenced) and smart and powerful. He would be an overpowered Mary sue if his motivations and the consequences of his just actions didn’t end up the way they did. But whether he is that or not, that doesn’t change how spectacular yet clear he is as a character.

Tldr: Adaptations may have made mistakes, but the mischaracterisation of multiple characters is almost entirely on the new and warped ideas in fandom. IMO.

i think you're right in that mischaracterisation generally goes hand in hand with fandom in general. although in mdzs's case it's particularly... egregious

i have to disagree that cql remained faithful to the original characters tho. i'm not just saying this to be a hater, i also started with cql, with no background knowledge of mdzs at all apart from that it's a censored adaption of a bl novel. i also enjoyed cql at the time (although i watched most of it completely wasted during that christmas-new years limbo period lol). anyway, my overall impression of cql was that it was pretty goofy, though more meaningful that it initially appeared, and overall pretty entertaining despite its objectively bad production quality. my friend who introduced me to cql informed me that the LA stayed very faithful to the original story, and the only part it was missing was the romance. lol. anyway so i went into mdzs with that expectation and honestly it wasn't a great reading experience at all. straight away, wwx felt like an entirely different character to cql. he felt very emotionless to me at first (this can probably be partly attributed to the writing style of exr's tl which took a bit of getting used to). my impression of wwx from cql was that he was impulsive, and reckless, and emotionally fragile. actually i found him very frustrating & unlikable for much of cql because he kept fucking stuff up for no reason then genuinely moping abt the consequences. cql portrayed wwx's tragedy as a result of his own actions. cql!lwj just felt like a non-character, he doesn't seem to be able to tell right and wrong for himself (which i would argue is not really a factor of his original characterisation), all he seems to do in cql is react, he doesn't come across as even having his own thoughts and motivations, other than 'rules' and, later, 'wwx'.

anyway, my first read through of mdzs was unfortunately very messy and confusing because (not to mention all the plot differences) i kept trying to reconcile the characters with how they appear in cql, which is impossible, because they are entirely different. i don't really want to talk abt this at length because that would probably require me to rewatch portions of cql (🤢🤢🤢) but main points that i can recall which make cql!wwx so different to wwx are

(ambiguously?) committing suicide (while a-yuan was still alone in the burial mound...?)

not trusting himself, giving lwj his blessing to kill him if it came to that during the defection scene

reckless actions during wen indoctrination camp

using wens as target practice one minute then defending them from abusive jins the next

forcing lwj to drink alcohol in the cr arc

also honourable mention to cql!lwj who told mianmian to go inside with her baby because there was danger but said nothing to her non-cultivator husband. lol.

wwx's defection with the wens is a pretty iconic scene in cql, the fact that both wwx and lwj - why was he trying to stop wwx? - are so ooc does fundamentally change the essence of not only their characters, but the whole story. also there's chief cultivatorji. so much wrong with that.

overall i get the impression that the writers for cql didn't really understand the original characters or story very well. there was probably a lot of spinning wheels and throwing darts going on in their decision making process.

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